Difficulty reading to 14 month boy

[pkh]

I try reading to my 14 month boy every night, but he is only interested in flipping the book to find pictures of cars/trucks or anything that has wheels. He does not seem to be interested in what I was reading. I find it really disheartening and wonder if he "gets" anything out of such "readings." My older daughter was way more concentrated and a pleasure to read to. Are boys different? Will my boy ever pay attention to my reading? Any insights/experience will be much appreciated.

[carang]

every child is different.
maybe instead of "reading" to your son, you could try talking about the things in the stories that he likes, ie. the cars. you could talk about the colour, what they are doing, where they might be going, etc. this way, you are still pouring over the book together and that's what you want, isn't it?

just so you know, i can't get my boy to be interested in what i'm reading either, so i'm doing what i suggested to you, only in my case, my boy loves animals, so i talk about the different animals in the story, what we can see in the picture, etc. it seems to work much better!

[LLL_Sarah]

Both my sons were the same. All they wanted to do was turn the pages when they were little. There is sometime in me that wants to read the words if they are there. So I found it easier to get books with pictures without words at this age. That way I wasn’t trying to read the words and being stopped.

As they grew older they liked story books but it was when they were quite a lot older. Their favourite books were Horrid Henry stories, which I started reading to them when they were about 5 years old.

Best wishes,
SARAH

[hermoine]

Even if your boy is just flipping the pages, looking everywhere else but the book, seems not interested in the story you are reading, don't be disheartened, as he is already gaining something out of the time you spent reading to him. It may not be apparent now, but you are "instilling" some knowledge, some sounds, some love, some everything to him. Even if not the love of books, the love from you! Keep reading to him, don't get upset, don't feel disheartened. Instilling is a slow process and not every child falls in love with everything in life immediately.

[pkh]

It is good to know my boy is not the only one who is not interested (at least at this age). Thanks for all your encouragement and suggestion, I will keep reading to him and try to share his excitement with the cars/trucks!

Thanks again!

[jennymor]

I try reading to my 14 month boy every night, but he is only interested in flipping the book to find pictures of cars/trucks or anything that has wheels. He does not seem to be interested in what I was reading. I find it really disheartening and wonder if he "gets" anything out of such "readings." My older daughter was way more concentrated and a pleasure to read to. Are boys different? Will my boy ever pay attention to my reading? Any insights/experience will be much appreciated.

Hi, I am an Independant Usborne Books at Home representative and i am asked a variety of questions everyday with regards to books and why do we read to babies and toddlers. The answer is that very young babies cannot focus well so you need books with large, simple pictures, bols red, green blue or black are usually best as this attracts the child to the main part of the page. When you read to a child you might be doing one of two things, you could be pointing at the pictures and saying the names, which helps your baby focus on specific sounds, However, this can become just a little monotonous especially when your baby is more interested in eating the book. Or you could just read, so that the baby can enjoy the sound of your voice and hear the rhythms of different types of language, even though he.she wont have a clue what you are talking about.
For children who understand most of what they hear, you need different books. let your child choose, though some 'guidance' is often necessary. You could have: language books poetry, traditional stories and mystery as well as everyday stories. A range of easier books with very few words, so that your child can begin to 'read' independantly, by remembering a story which he/she has heard often. Reading to your child is the single most valuable thing you can do. It gives experience of different types of language, rhythms and sounds. It teaches about many topics which wouldnt come up in nrmal conversation research has shown that pre-school children who are exposed to plenty of language (books and conversation) tend to do better at school. plus a huge plus now it is a wonderful way to bond with your child and is very calming too hence the reason most of us read to our children before bed time or whilst in the bath. Children love the bond between someone who is paying them attention - and by reading books to a child you are paying attention with them and bonding. If you want more information on reading to babies and toddlers please email me on [email protected] or if you would be interested in purchasing any Usborne Books please feel free to contact me for more information. many thanks and good luck. HAPPY READING Jenny x

[Sumei]

hi,

from my limited experience with my nieces (my son is 17 months old) I'd say yes there is a huge difference between boys and girls when it comes to reading! My mother-in-law is a child development specialist so there was alot of pressure on me to do the reading thing - my 2 nieces who spend alot of time with her read beautifully from a very young age so I tried (from as early as 1 month old) with my son starting off with cloth books and slowly progressing towards board books when he got older - it was a STRUGGLE to say the least, he wouldnt sit still on my lap and would wiggle and loose interest even before fiinishing the first page and I tried ALL sorts of books, he was just more interested in crawling around and playing with toys and then chewing on his books! I then realised I had to be innovative, here are some of the things I found that works:

1. catch him when he's at his most alert : generally in the mornings and after naps, in the evenings before bed time he was hyper and just could not focus and the whole concept of before bedtime reading was a disaster.

2. provide books after every meal time : I give him a book immediately after he's done with his meal and he sits in his high chair with a book or two for 5-15 mins while I or helper clear up his feeding tray. I will talk to him asking him what he sees in the book and explaining.talking to keep his interest level up, I do this EVERY meal time at home so it becomes routine, he can't run away cos he's in his high chair!

3. book corner: we created a reading corner in his bedroom - no toys just one large cuddly bear and his books and we read there so he's not distracted by any toys. (I keep his toys in toy bins in the living room as I prefer him to play in an area where I or helper can keep an eye on him anyway) Now he loves going to his reading corner and sitting down and picking out a book and will even charge into his bedroom screaming "books!" at the top of his voice!! Depending on how distracted your toddler gets, you may want to leave out a couple of books so he can choose for himself which book he'd like to read.

4. repetition : you'll find they enjoy one book in particular so go ahead and start off reading that book to "whet" his appetite. As mentioned, let them pick out books as they are more likely to stay interested if you are reading them a book they like!

5. routine : do this every day so it becomes part and parcel of their daily life, no exceptions.

It's still a challenge with my son on some days but in general the persistence has paid off, most importantly make it fun and enjoyable and don't give the impression it's something they have to do, as with all kids, they'll rebel.

GOOD LUCK and enjoy!

[capital]

Let him take the lead.Let him look at the pages he is interested in. If it is a fight or uunpleasant he will learn to not like reading.
I found my son was the same at that age, so I bought some "interactive" books. like flap books, wheels that turn, books that were more of an "activity" . When he was a bit older he enjoyed the story more. He also played with books, He would line them all up, or open 20 books standing up, so he wasn't at all reading, but still learning, some fine motor skills anyways!!!ha ha. now at 2.5 he loves to read books with me, or by himself and now is getting more into the actual story of the book.